Digg/Buzz It Up

POLITICO 44

Despite the embarrassing rejection of his effort to lure the 2016 Olympic Games to his hometown of Chicago, President Barack Obama will keep the first-ever White House Olympic Office, POLITICO has learned.

The White House stressed that the office, officially called the White House Office of Olympic, Paralympic and Youth Sport, is permanent and has purposes other than helping U.S. cities bid on and host the Olympics.

“It was always our intention that this office would continue to exist regardless of the outcome of the 2016 bid,” said a White House official, explaining that the office will work to boost youth sports and will coordinate with the State Department and other agencies to facilitate U.S. athletes’ participation in the Olympics and Paralympics in other countries.

“We are currently working to support the participation in the London and Vancouver Games,” said the official, referring to the 2012 summer and 2010 winter games, respectively. The official, who did not want to be identified discussing the internal organization of the White House, said the office has no independent budget, and is instead housed in the White House Office of Public Engagement, headed by Valerie Jarrett, a close Obama friend and senior White House adviser. Obama tapped Jarrett to head the Olympics office and lead the administration’s unprecedented effort to bring the 2016 Summer Olympics to Chicago.

Jarrett and eight White House staffers worked part-time on the Chicago bid out of the White House Olympics office, said the official, who ignored questions about whether the staffing would be scaled back in light of the demise of Chicago’s bid, or whether there were any new U.S. Olympic bids in the works.

When Obama unveiled the office in June, the White House specified in a release it would work with the United States Olympic Committee, as well as state and local governments to “coordinate federal resources and act as liaison to, any organizing committee for an Olympic and Paralympic Games hosted in the United States.”

The office’s very existence was widely interpreted as an effort to mitigate what had been considered a key deficiency in U.S. Olympic bids. Unlike the national governments of most cities that vie for the Olympics, including the three that Chicago competed against for the 2016 Games, the U.S. has long lacked a federal sports agency and is statutorily barred from directly financing the Olympic Games.

But neither the establishment of the office, nor an unprecedented personal appeal by Obama, who flew to Copenhagen last week to make Chicago’s case at the 11th hour, were enough to sway the International Olympic Committee. It shocked even veteran Olympic observers by eliminating Chicago in its first round of voting Friday – only hours after hearing from Obama and first lady Michelle Obama – on its way to selecting with Rio de Janeiro.

I am happy that this WH has chosen to embrace sports, this is very important to the development of individuals and can only be a positive for the country as a whole. Our youth needs to get involved in sports and get excited about sports.

Who is the zcar of this office. How much does that cost the taxpayer? What favored of Obama got that job? and if we need it, we don't need it now. Is this guy for real? Fix Afghanistan, duhhhhh.....oh it's Jarret again.....how about Michelle? is she getting a pay check? I wouldn't be surprised. What a waste the Obama's should pay for that, or at least their books should show every bid of contribution they took in. I think Hitler had an Olympic office in 1936. Hitler had his fingers in everything. Pitifull.

This obama is an imbecile. Straight up! completly living in a dream world. He's told himself he did win, he is pretendidng to be a winner even thou we all know he's a liar and a loser. Is there a noodle doctor on duty in the W.H.?

Who is the zcar of this office. How much does that cost the taxpayer? What favored of Obama got that job? and if we need it, we don't need it now. Is this guy for real? Fix Afghanistan, duhhhhh.....oh it's Jarret again.....how about Michelle? is she getting a pay check? I wouldn't be surprised. What a waste the Obama's should pay for that, or at least their books should show every bid of contribution they took in. I think Hitler had an Olympic office in 1936. Hitler had his fingers in everything. Pitifull. I believe this office was kept open out of spite, because of Olympic egg on his face. Why else . Can't figure it out.

YADDA! YADDA! YADDA! BARACK "TWINKY-WINKY" OBAMA'S FATHER, "THE DEVIL" IS USING HIS SON'S OLD "CYANOTIC" LIPS, AND THAT "VITREOUS" TONGUE TO LIE TO US, AGAIN. HE DID IT ONCE, HE WILL DO IT AGAIN! TWINKY-WINKY'S MOUTH IS SO FULL OF "LIES", HIS THROAT SMELLS LIKE AN "OPEN GRAVE"! AS SMOKEY THE BEAR TOLD OBAMA, "TWINKY, YOU CAN PREVENT LIES!": "THE ONES FORMING IN YO' THROAT"! OBAMA/TWINKY, AND HIS WIFE LOOK LIKE TWO "OLD-ASS 'ACORNISH' HENS", OLD AND DECREPIT, LAYING 'ROTTEN' POLITICAL EGGS NOBODY WANT!